Boris Johnson faced a backlash from Conservative MPs on Sunday after declaring he wanted to continue as prime minister until the 2030s.
Speaking in Rwanda at a summit of Commonwealth heads of government, Johnson said on Saturday that he was “actively thinking” about his government’s third term.
When asked if he wanted to serve a second term until 2029, as the next general election is scheduled for 2024, Johnson replied, “Right now I’m actively thinking about the third term and you know, what could happen then. that is in the mid – 2030s “.
Johnson’s leadership of the Conservative party was plunged into further unrest on Friday after the Conservatives suffered overwhelming defeats in the by-elections in Wakefield in West Yorkshire and in Tiverton and Honiton in Devon.
The results were seen in part as a verdict on Johnson’s conduct in the partygate scandal. In April, he became the first incumbent British Prime Minister to commit a crime after police fined him for attending a Downing Street birthday party during a Covid-19 blockade.
Johnson survived a censorship vote in his leadership this month, but 41% of Conservative MPs refused to support him.
At the Commonwealth summit, he said he would focus on helping the British with the cost of living crisis and continue with the planned reforms, but also insisted that “he would not undergo any kind of psychological transformation”.
Over the weekend, several Conservative MPs critical of Johnson expressed concern that his latest comments would only inflame relations with the parliamentary party.
“Johnson has a monumental faith in himself, but he has lost touch with reality,” a Conservative MP said. “We need to get back down to earth and soon.”
Another MP said Johnson’s approach should focus on offering voters now rather than preparing for scenarios in several years. “We can’t continue like this,” he added. “We keep promising and promising, but without giving anything to our voters.”
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A third MP said Johnson’s comments could alienate the public. “For members of the electorate who don’t like it, it just galvanizes their decision to vote against it and therefore the Conservative party,” he added.
Johnson made a defiant note when he pressured his comments on serving three terms as prime minister.
When asked if his comments were delusional, he replied at a G7 summit in Bavaria: “What I am saying is that this is a government that is doing things for the people of this country and we have a lot to do. . ”
Brandon Lewis, secretary for Northern Ireland, said Johnson wanted to be serious about serving three terms. “Often, as politicians, especially when you are in government, we are criticized for making decisions looking at next week, the next election, next year and not looking at the long term,” he told the BBC.
Immediately after the by-election results, Conservative party chairman Oliver Dowden resigned, saying someone “must take responsibility” and that the Conservatives could not continue with “business as usual”.
Some Conservative MPs are expected to push a second vote of censure on Johnson, although party rules overseen by the 1922 Conservative committee stipulate that another vote cannot take place for a year.
Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen said last week that he would run in the 1922 executive election in the coming days with a manifesto changing the rules to allow another vote this year.